Dear Iffy,
Good luck on your move. Lille is a very nice town, although not really
famous for tourist attractions, and the people there are known for
their "northern hospitality". The town developed during the industrial
revolution and today is the home of more than million people. However,
the percentage of unemployment and non-French-speaking population in
the town is higher than the French average. The town has older
districts, but it was in ruins by the end of World War II, and most of
the buildings in most of the districts are post-1945. This site
provides history in English -
http://asp1.nordcompo.fr/mairielille/LilleTouristique/GB/HistoireGB/FramesHistoire/FHist7CGB.htm
In particular, it might be wise to avoid the southern "suburb" of
Lille-Sud. The level of crime and violence there is probably the
highest in Lille, and so is the police brutality (see
http://www.bradley.edu/campusorg/bpn/news/francesh.txt). It is suburb
of some 23,000 residents, more than half of who are of Muslim North
African origin.
There are also other poor districts, and some streets where you'll
feel a stranger since you don't speak North-African Arabic, if you get
the picture.
Another part with high levels of North African population is Moulins.
It used to be full of industrial hangars. There are some deserted
warehouses and "escort services" (or whatever you'll call them) there,
so some streets might be not so friendly. However, there are also
theatres and parks such as Jardin des Plantes. Similarly, Faubourg de
Béthune is a poor neighborhood with problems of non-French speaking
population (although lower than in Lille Sud and Moulins) and high
levels of unemployment. Fives has also a similar profile.
Eurolille is in the east of Lille and is fresh new. It was built in
1990 and has everything that is modern and out of glass and metal -
including a large residential, shopping, entertainment, and commercial
sectors and a rapid transport system. It must be noted, however, that
there is some weaker population in Eurolille and it is certainly not
half as romantic as the older parts of town. St Maurice Pellevoisin is
one of the grayest neighborhoods in Lille, with very little parks. The
population is Middle Class and Lower Middle class.
The older parts of the town include the popular and hip Wazemmes
district. It used to be an industrial suburb, and was attached to
Lille in 1858. This is a district with many touristy cafes and
restaurants, as well as night clubs, etc. If you're looking for a
nice, quiet and clean neighborhood, this might not be the place for
you. It also has a high level of unemployment. There are many touristy
attractions in this relatively old district (the famous Sunday market,
for example). Concierge, the site recommended here by the commentator,
describes it as "a name, which is synonymous with the Sunday morning
market and northern friendliness". The Guardian writes, "The district
of Wazemmes, about a mile from the old town, refuses to modernise.
Shopping is done on Sundays in the famous market, where everything
from antiques, fresh food and vegetables, flowers and regular jumble
are on sale. The local shops in Rue Leon Gambetta stay open late to
accommodate the extra custom. "
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4047633,00.html)
Another fashionable location, with rent a little disproportional to
the quality of the apartments, is Vauban. It is a very young area with
many students living there. Those who are not students are mostly poor
and immigrants, but it is not a bad place to live. There is a big park
(The " Vauban" Garden : created under Napoleon the Third, famous for
its a hundred-year-old trees and its puppets' theatre.
(http://www.univ-lille1.fr/eudil/lillegb/lillois.htm)] and also a
citadel.
Vieux Lille is a good area, with a lot of cafes and restaurants, as
well as nice places to live. Fashionable shops, and therefore also
high-street rent levels, can be found in Centre. Another beautiful
place (and a bit rich) is Hellemmes, which is a bit of a suburb and
not central.
Read about Lille's unemployment levels -
http://www.ifresi.univ-lille1.fr/PagesHTML/URSPIC/Raphtml/Lille/Lille.htm
Read story abotu Lille http://www.musart.co.uk/stories/shavhead.htm
My search strategy included many searches on each district (for
example ://www.google.com/search?q=%22Vauban%22+district+lille&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=10&sa=N),
together with searches on Lille's crime level, unemployment rate, and
other problems.
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=lille+%22crime+level%22
://www.google.com/search?q=lille+immigrant&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
://www.google.com/search?q=%22lille+sud%22+district&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=10&sa=N
I hope that answered your question. If feel like you need a
clarification, I'll be pleased to provide one. |
